Sunday, November 22, 2015

Take Action for Syrian Refugees!

WE NEED YOUR VOICE! More votes on refugee resettlement are coming up!

Tell Congress & Your Governor to WELCOME SYRIAN REFUGEES!

Update: In mid November, a number of Governors announced that they want to stop their states from resettling Syrian refugees. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4038, The American Security against Foreign Enemies Act, which would grind to a halt the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees. These actions and the anti-refugee sentiment that has accompanied them, go against who we are as a nation. It is critical that public officials hear from their constituents NOW as decisions are being made in the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and state governments that will drastically impact the lives of Syrian refugees.

The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, director of the PC (USA) Office of Public Witness, says “We must remember the words of Emma Lazarus etched on the welcome symbol of the Statue of Liberty, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.’ Our bible writes it another way, ‘Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.’ Hebrews 13:2.”

Visit the visit the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance website for information on how the Presbyterian Church has been responding to the Syrian crisis and please take action TODAY!

Tell your Governor's office that as a constituent, you want to help WELCOME Syrian refugees and that you're against their calls to reject Syrian refugees.

Tell your Senator's office that as a constituent, you OPPOSE legislation that would stop or halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees, or only allow Christians to be resettled.

Tell your Representative's office that as a constituent, you OPPOSE H.R. 4038 and other bills that would stop or halt the resettlement
of Syrian refugees, or only allow Christians to be resettled.

Ex: “I’m a constituent from [City] and I support Syrian refugees. I am opposed to any proposal that would stop or halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees or only allow Christians to be resettled. I urge the Senator / Representative / Governor to represent me and other constituents who seek to welcome Syrian refugees.”

Here are some helpful points on the security process, but the most important point is your story and why your community wants to welcome Syrian refugees: The U.S. government handpicks the refugees who resettle here, and the U.S. resettlement process has the most rigorous screening process in the world. Refugees are the most thoroughly vetted people to come to the United States, undergoing interagency screenings by the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Department of Defense and multiple intelligence agencies, including biometric checks, forensic document testing, medical tests and in-person interviews. This is not an either/or situation. The United States can continue to welcome refugees while also continuing to ensure national security. We must do both.

You can also tweet your Members of Congress and your network:
“.@REPRESENTATIVE, Our community is ready to welcome #Syrian #refugees. #RefugeesWelcome #AmericaWelcomes!"

About Me

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness is the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Its task is to advocate, and help the church to advocate, the social witness perspectives and policies of the Presbyterian General Assembly. The church has a long history of applying these biblically and theologically-based insights to issues that affect the public — maintaining a public policy ministry in the nation's capital since 1946.
Reformed theology teaches that because a sovereign God is at work in all the world, the church and Christian citizens should be concerned about public policy. In addition, Presbyterian forefather John Calvin wrote, "Civil magistry is a calling not only holy and legitimate, but by far the most sacred and honorable in human life."